For me, the preaching is far from the most important part of a church, or the biggest factor in deciding which church to belong to.
I listen to a lot of podcasts from some of the most gifted Bible teachers alive today. No church in my locality has any chance of matching them.
Think of preaching or Bible teaching in terms of spiritual food. There are chefs who can serve up exquisite delicacies that send the taste buds soaring, and that's great. But we can all live off decent honest nutritious home cooking just fine.
What's most important to me, is the culture of a church - is it a group of people that is committed to each other, and living out the life that Jesus commands? Is it the kind of culture that will challenge me, hold me accountable when it's needed, and help carry me through the tough times when they come? I want to belong to a church that will pray for me and support me in my walk of faith. Also, I want to be free to serve others in the same way.
If these things are in place, I can happily sit through any number of average sermons.
I love your post Hekuran....the worship service is so much more than simply the sermon, and like you I listen to sermons on line that are wonderful. Yet even still, just as there is more to a worship service than just the sermon, there is more to a church than a worship service.
I changed churches as mentioned in previous post....my old church, I wasn't comfortable with it any more....it was an older congregation with a median age probably pushing close to 80 years, and not particularily well attended....around 100 people at worship. The building itself was lovely, but that was both negative and positive....built around 170 years ago its one of the oldest buildings in town with a tower and bells. While that is all wonderful the cost of maintaing such a structure is a challenge with membership declining. So much fund raising was done to keep the church going....and the pastor would almost apoligize for it by saying something like 'without this fundraising this church will cease to exist'.....I should point out that the church does a lot for the community. They have a used clothing depot, they have dinners for the migrant workers who come to work in the area farms, and host a weekly supper that is open to evreyone at no cost, (donations welcomed though).
Now my new church isn't perfect either....but I find its really helping me develop in my relationship with Christ in so many ways. I see a message like one that came after your's boldly asserting that religion is a form of bondage that puts a person in a cage and it makes me sad because I fear people will read a message like that and that it might lead them away from checking dropping into a place of worship.
The topic of this thread about detaching oneself from religion and following Jesus, and I don't have a problem with that per se, unless it means abandoning our places of worship. I have a six year old son attending Sunday School....I teach his class on a rotational basis with others. My little guy is just starting out, and he's learning the foundations of the Christian faith, Adam and Eve, the flood, Jonah, Samson, David and Goliath. I know he doesn't understand the many layered meanings of these teachings yet, that will come later.
During the summer there's a Christian sports camp for the kids, and Vacation Bible School...and then there's gems and cadets for older kids throughout the year, and a youth group for the teens. My church hosts regular breakfast gatherings for First Responder Workers....we have 'The Big Give' where a local hockey arena is rented out in the summer and is used to stage a huge give away of items donated by members of the congregation and some of the other churches in the area. There's grief counseling services open to all members of the community suffering from the loss of a loved one, I could go on and on, support for a local pregnancy support centre and financial support of missionaries both local and global.
We're a pretty large community for a small town of less than 15,000....typically we have 250-300 people at worship on Sunday, and the gifts that people bring of their time, talents and money make so much possible....I've organized a weekly men's basketball night, it just started this year....but I'm hoping it becomes a way to introduce people to Jesus Christ who might otherwise not have the opportunity to engage with Christians.
My advice to anyone who has had a bad experience with a church, or who hasn't found the experience fulfilling....keep looking. And don't expect to find a perfect church, because there is no such thing. If even the best one you've found isn't good enough, maybe try and make it better. Even if it is good enough, you can bring your time and talent to improve it. Volunteering to teach Sunday School and at VBS and other events has given me back far more than I've given.
